


To Ease Her Burden

by vulpineRaconteur



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Divine Vivienne, Established Relationship, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 15:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3656241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpineRaconteur/pseuds/vulpineRaconteur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being Divine is a lot of hard work, but some things (or people) make it easier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Ease Her Burden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stonestrewn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stonestrewn/gifts).



Divine Victoria I, who had borne many names and titles in her life, most infamous of which had been Madame de Fer, most familiar of which was Vivienne, had always been prone to headaches in troublesome situations.  She had always been prone to troublesome situations, too, and so was adept at enduring her headaches.  Today’s headache was the handiwork of three chancellors, who all wanted money for the same thing, but could not agree on the execution.

The first chancellor, Maurice of the Montsimmard Circle, wanted a statue of the Maker built in the Circle chantry.  It had only been a year since the Circles were reestablished, and many of the towers were being rebuilt.  Their old statue had been destroyed by looters while the tower stood empty, and it had been a small thing, anyway.  Would not a grand replacement demonstrate to the world that the Chantry had lost no face or power during the Mage-Templar War?

The second chancellor, also of the Montsimmard Circle and also, frustratingly, named Maurice, wanted the statue built in the foyer.  There, it would fill the hearts of all who entered with the Maker’s presence.  Between the lines, Divine Victoria could read quite well that the chancellor’s true goal was to inspire new mages, fresh from their family homes, but with fear, not awe.

The third chancellor was named René, of the Grand Cathedral in Montsimmard, and he objected to building the statue in the Circle at all.  Why should they, when the Grand Cathedral had gone almost a decade without a new statue of its own?  What had the mages done to deserve it, apart from defying the Chantry and rebelling in the first place?

Divine Victoria drew a smile across her face that denied the pain at her temples.  She looked to her new secretary, an ambitious young noblewoman she had hired as a favor.  “How kind of you, dear,” Divine Victoria said, “to bring this problem directly to me.”

The secretary blanched.  “Your Perfection, considering it is your old Circle in question, I thought--”

“I’m sure you did, dear.”  The chancellors had convinced her to grant them audience, of course.  Divine Victoria would have to select a replacement as soon as possible.  The young woman’s family would also owe  _her_ a favor now, too.  That would give her something to think about when this pointless audience was over.

She returned her attention to the squabbling chancellors.  “How awful for you, esteemed chancellors, that we cannot agree.  We all, of course, want only to spread Andraste’s grace to the world, and a statue in a place of worship is  _such_ an effective message.  What a shame that we cannot all have what we want.”

“Pardon, Your Grace,” one of the Maurices said, “but I’m getting the impression you had other plans for these funds?”

“Oh, it was only a little thing.  I have been making arrangements to give the Montsimmard Circle a statue of my predecessor, Divine Justinia.  Only just this morning I sent off a message to First Enchanter Giordana.”  Divine Victoria had, unofficially, chosen the First Enchanter of the Montsimmard Circle personally.  It was of course the Circle’s senior enchanters who made the selection, but who would dare vote against the Divine’s favorite?  First Enchanter Giordana was already making a name for herself.  She was an exceptionally sharp and capable woman, well up to the task of handling young mages and templars alike.  She was also a notorious gossip.

Divine Victoria could see the chancellors’ thoughts whirring behind their eyes.  It was late afternoon now.  If the message was sent this morning, would she have received it yet?  If they left now, what were their chances of outrunning it?  How many people would already know of this plan before the day was out?

“Of course, now we must reconsider my plan to honor our beloved former Divine.”  She said it with just enough sadness, just the smallest hint of disappointment in her voice.  No so much as to be showy, but enough.  The chancellors all began speaking at once.  It would be bad enough to disappoint the current Divine, but showing a perceived disrespect for the last one would be catastrophic.  Divine Justinia had been very popular in her time, but since her death, the common person’s love for her seemed unbounded.  Nothing could ensure obscurity or worse like slighting her memory.

“Your Holiness,” René said, raising his voice above the others, “you have shown yourself truly wiser than us all.  Of course what Thedas needs now is the chance to celebrate and remember her departed Holiness.  I withdraw my request.”

The man could flatter without simpering.  Vivienne was impressed.  She would have to keep her eye on him.  “I’m so glad we found a solution that could please us all.”

 

~~~

 

Late that evening, Divine Victoria had removed her raiment and was sitting quietly in her private chambers, going over tomorrow’s plans, when someone knocked on the door.  She smiled.  “Come in, darling.”

Lady Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast entered the room, still wearing the practical armor she favored while travelling.  Seeker Pentaghast had been out of Val Royeaux for weeks on business, and was only just returning.  Vivienne smiled at her.  “I would not have minded waiting for you to change clothes, Cassandra.  There was no need to come straight here.”

“I disagree,” Cassandra said.  “Had I gone to my own rooms first, I doubt I could have stayed away from my bed for more than a moment.”  She hesitated.  “Unless you would prefer I had changed and bathed first.”

“Oh, darling, not in the slightest.”  Vivienne reached a hand out to Cassandra without rising from her seat, and Cassandra took it in her own.  She kissed the hand chastely, but could not resist a deep breath in at Vivienne’s wrist.  Vivienne twisted her hand around and cupped Cassandra’s face to pull her in for a kiss.

Cassandra searched Vivienne’s face as they parted.  “Are you feeling alright?” she asked, a charming crease forming between her eyebrows.

Vivienne smiled.  “A headache I’ve been fighting most of the day.  I have a feeling it’s about to leave me be very soon, however.  Now, if you’d like, I’ll send for a hot supper and a warm bath, and then we can see about getting you into a bed.”  Cassandra blushed and let out a throaty laugh.

 

~~~

 

Several hours later, with all the world invisible in the dark around them, they lay awake in bed, Cassandra’s head on Vivienne’s chest.  The Divine had already returned her thoughts to the Game, to the favors and appointments that awaited her.  Cassandra shifted to look up at her, drawing her attention.

“Vivienne, there is something I’ve been wondering.”  Whatever it was clearly troubled her.  The crease between her brows had returned.  “Before I ask, please know that your answer will not change how...how I feel about you.”

A warm feeling rose up in Vivienne’s chest.  That Cassandra could be so reticent, so courteous about their relationship, even as they lay in bed together, was utterly endearing.  “What is it, darling?”

“Before you became Divine, you did not speak much about your faith, or Andraste.  You have always been ambitious, so it does not seem so strange you would want this position regardless.  And the Chantry has been in such a crisis, we do need a capable Divine right now more than we need a faithful one.  But despite all that, I still wonder, do you believe?”

A hundred answers came to Vivienne, soothing, flattering, manipulative, but she discarded them at once.  She stroked Cassandra’s arm while she considered her true answer to the question.

“Faith is not as easy for me as it is for you,” she said.

“You think I find faith  _easy?_ ” Cassandra asked, an indignant laugh in her voice.

“I think your faith makes the hard things easier,” Vivienne replied.  “But growing up as a mage, for me at least, faith only made things harder.  I could not allow myself to hope for the Maker’s intervention, or Andraste’s guidance.  I had to believe that the only person who could help me was me.  If I didn’t, I would doubt, and falter, and that could not happen.  If pressed, I suppose I would have said that I did believe, for all the good it did me.  But my dear Cassandra…”

She looked into her lover’s face, cheeks flushed, kohl smudged, and asked herself: was the Maker real?  Did Andraste love her, and was she her chosen, her most holy?

“Nothing has made me more sure of Andraste and her love than you.  Perhaps she has guided me, perhaps not, but your faith has guided you. It has made you the woman you are today, with all your strength and kindness, your convictions and your morals.  You are Andraste’s gift to Thedas--”

“Vivienne--”

“No, let me finish.”  Cassandra had slid down Vivienne’s torso to obscure her blushing face.  “Andraste blessed Thedas with you, and better yet, she has blessed me.  What more proof do I need that I am chosen to do her will in Thedas, than that she has also chosen me for you?

“And I’m sorry that I have embarrassed you,” she told the top of Cassandra’s head, “but I so rarely get to tell people what I truly think of them, that it seemed like a waste to stop myself.”

Cassandra peeked back up at her, face red, eyes smiling.  “I don’t know what to say.  You are so good with words, and I’m a disaster.  I’ll never be able to make you this happy.”

“ _Darling_ ,” Vivienne said, and she gently pulled Cassandra up until their faces were level.  “You don’t need words to make me happy.  Although, if you were looking for suggestions...I do have a few.”

Something almost wicked came into Cassandra’s expression.  “In that case, I am all ears.”


End file.
